Czech power forward Bakrlik joins Rays

The Excel Hull Stingrays have today completed the signing of 6'5, 231lbs Czech power forward Frantisek Bakrlik, the club's seventh signing ahead of the 11/12 Elite League campaign, from Polish top flight side MMKS Podhale Nowy Targ.

 © www.podhale-nowytarg.pl

The experienced 28 year old joins the club after spending the majority of the past five years of his career in Poland having begun his career in his hometown of Livitnov with their under-18 squad.

Almost immediately following the completion of his sole under-18 campaign - in which he registered 40 points in 42 games - Bakrlik was drafted by junior Ontario Hockey League side the Barrie Colts in the first round of the CHL import draft. He went on to spend a year and a half in Barrie before moving on to the Sarnia Sting halfway through the following season, eventually totalling respectable figures of 16 goals and 25 assists in his two season spell in the OHL.

Having kickstarted his career in Ontario but failed to be drafted to the NHL he moved home to his native Czech Republic in 02/03 for his rookie year, signing with HC Ytong Brno for a 25 game, 8 point debut campaign before returning for another shot at North America in 03/04, signing with Winston Salem Polar Twins.

The right winger spent the next two and half years in Adirondack with the Frostbite of the UHL, playing alongside new boss Cloutier and fellow new Stingray Dmitri Suur - who has also spent his last few years in Poland - recording 26 goals, 48 points and 172 PIM in 86 games, in the process becoming a player the Rays coach will not be unfamiliar with.

He once again returned to Czech Republic at the tail end of 05/06 signing in the second division for HC Berounsti Medvedi but has since spent the large majority of his time in Poland, accumulating 56 goals, 68 assists for 124 points alongside 303 PIM's in 117 games.

In a particularly successful period in his career, Bakrlik picked up a Polish Cup in 08/09 with GKS Tychy, a Polish league title in his third season with Podhale Nowy Targ in 09/10 - setting career bests in goals (30), assists (38), points (68) and PIM's (121) - and was named an All-Star last year having netted five goals and 17 points in 17 games.

© Tadeusz Bacala / www.fotohokej.pl

Interestingly, in his 09/10 career year the Czech native finished the year third in league scoring and accumulated eight more points than last season Newcastle Viper Jaroslaw Rzeszutko, who recorded an outstanding 34 goals and 30 assists in 47 games with the now defunct North East club.

Indeed, despite icing in just 17 games last year the Rays newest recruit finished fourth in Nowy Targ pointscoring as his side finished in a disappointing seventh place, although that could have been very different had Cloutier been able to bring the power forward into the club in place of a misfiring forward, thought to be Konstantin Kalmikov, at Christmas as planned.

"Frankie is a guy I know all about. I played with him for Adirondack and he was one of our key guys....I had a chance to get Frankie last Christmas. The Polish league where he was playing had some financial problem but we couldn't work something out."

With the addition of Bakrlik, Kalmikov now looks certain to be heading for the exit door, as previously speculated, and he joins Matti Uusivirta - who has taken time away from the sport - Trevor Read and Jozef Sladok as departees, with enforcer Sladok also in part replaced by the physical Czech forward.

The expected direct Kalmikov-Bakrlik exchange, while a downgrade in potential skill - potential that the Ukrainian did not match up to last season - is a definite required upgrade in physicality and size for a club that notably lacked it last term.

 © www.podhale-nowytarg.pl

Indeed, the power forward is a much sought after piece of the puzzle in British ice hockey and one that clubs are often unable to adequately fill. The Rays last signing in that particular mold was Canadian Rick Kozak, a loose cannon of a forward but one that could, if he put his mind to it, change the course of a game.

Unfortunately, that side of his game showed all too rarely, more precisely making appearances in just his first game against Manchester and last game against Nottingham. The incident with the Panthers in Nottingham in between those two fixtures was unsavory and unnecessary but had it not been for the incident with Marc Levers or what occurred immediately after, Kozak would have been a surefire favourite in Hull, and it is that fine line between physicality and dangerous play leading to suspension that Bakrlik and most EIHL power forwards must tread.

Nevertheless, with pointscoring seasons under his belt - albeit in Poland - and size aplenty, the likely trade-off for Ukrainian #19 appears a good one with time and luck eventually running out on Kalmikov after two outstanding years as a fan favourite.

Cloutier described his former teammate and latest signing to the Hull Daily Mail:

"He is a big power forward, he plays physical and hits you hard. But he is also a great skater and has a good shot on him. Frankie has put up some numbers in Poland and I think he can do a great job for the team. He can be a ‘go-to’ guy for us. He has won championships in Poland so he knows what it takes to win...he is really excited about coming to Hull and to try and help us make the play-offs and hopefully challenge for a trophy."

His signing brings the Rays offensive roster to 7 and the overall roster to 11 players with three imports - thought to be two defencemen and one forward - left to sign alongside a further three or four British options.

While Andrew Coburn's career and future at the club may not be as cut and dried as initially thought, Drew Bannister and fellow D-man Read look to have played their last game's for the club as does Sladok with Cloutier allegedly searching for two import options on the defensive front, although it is unknown whether captain Kurtis Dulle will yet return for an unexpected second season.

Estonian international is Suur thing for Stingrays

© Tomasz Sowa

The Excel Hull Stingrays have today officially confirmed the signing of 36 year old Estonian national team defenceman and captain Dmitry Rodin, who joins the club from Polish side KH Sanok for the 11/12 Elite League campaign.

The news of his addition to the Stingrays ranks broke earlier in the week and comes as no surprise after he told Polish website hokej.net:

"I would like to play in England, for 2-3 years to end my hockey career. For some time I was in contact with the club..yesterday I signed a one-year contract. Such is life [as] a hockey player..[he must] sign and play where he gets good a deal. Now I choose England because I have a wedding anniversary, my wife has lived in England for nine years. So I decided to come to her on a permanent basis."

It appeared just a matter of time before Rodin - who also goes by the name Dmitri Suur - was unveiled as the Rays newest recruit having recorded three goals and 13 assists on his way to adding the Polish Cup to the Polish league title he won in 09/10.

The vastly experienced Tallinn native signs as the club's third new defensive signing of the summer, joining Brits Sam McCluskey and Daniel Scott on the roster, as player-coach Sylvain Cloutier attempts to revamp a blueline that leaked 202 goals last season.

While that double century is 31 goals fewer than 10/11 and 43 goals fewer than 09/10, it was fairly obvious to most that the club again struggled in its own defensive zone over the full 56 game schedule with the 12-0 drubbing in Cardiff a particular lowlight.

The signing of the wiley veteran - who has experience at the top level of hockey in Slovakia, Russia, Denmark, Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland as well as his native Estonia - may not grab the headlines like former player-assistant coach Drew Bannister, who he may well end up replacing, however, he does provide much needed experience to a rearguard that, up to this point lacked top flight games under its belt.

Considering his age, one concern may be that the Estonian will lack pace which was a particular problem last term, however, having appeared for Estonia in their recent 7-0 loss at the hands of Great Britain and having played with Cloutier in Adirondack in 05/06, the Rays coach is confident 6'2 Suur will do a good job in the Elite League providing size and offence.

"I have known Dmitri a long time. He plays the North American style hockey, he's not your typical European. He plays the game hard, he competes and that's what I like about him. I needed a guy who has experience and can log up a lot of minutes back there and help out our young defencemen like Sam McCluskey and Daniel Scott. Also, we didn't really have a big shot from the point last year. Dmitri has that and I think that will be good for our powerplay. He's a good all-round player. He's been around and knows what it takes to win championships."

Although Cloutier was unwilling to rule out a return for 37 year old Bannister, it looks very likely that his future now lies away from Hull, with the former NHLer commanding a package beyond the club's means to return. With the similarly aged Suur now signed, were Bannister to make a U-turn and re-sign, the Stingrays would be left with an unbalanced defensive corps consisting of an 18 year old and 22 year old as well as a 36 year old and 37 year old, and such a make-up seems unlikely given the ongoing defensive refurbishment.

The Estonian may not quite have the reputation or a resume comparable to Bannister's 164 NHL, 204 AHL, 124 DEL and 77 SM-Liga appearances, however, he would presumably come cheaper, allowing the club to spread the remainder of its resources from Bannister across the roster. Nevertheless, Cloutier reaffirmed to the Hull Daily Mail that, were it an option, he would indeed sign both players saying:

"I would have been very happy to have both Dmitri and Drew back there."

Elsewhere, the Rays boss confirmed talks are now "ongoing" with captain Kurtis Dulle, who was initially contemplating retirement after his single season in Hull last year.

The 31 year old Saskatchewan native lead Stingrays defencemen last season, registering 12 goals and 31 assists for 43 points, and signed to play summer hockey in the Australian Ice Hockey League with the possibility that it may be the last stop on his six year hockey career.

However, he has since posted two goals and four assists in ten games with Sydney Bears, who sit eighth and bottom in the regular season standings, and it appears he remains open to the notion of returning for another year in Hull.